- The decision, adopted by the Joint Commission, is in response to the need for replacing the incumbent, Andrea Brito, following her retirement
- The promotion of research, training and scientific dissemination will continue to be the lines of action to be followed
Elena Pastor Tejera, professor of Physical Chemistry at the University of La Laguna, has taken over the Cepsa Foundation Chair of Ecological Transition and Innovation at the University of La Laguna, replacing the previous holder, professor Andrea Brito Alayón.
The decision, adopted by the Joint Committee at its last meeting, responds to the need to fill Andrea Brito’s vacancy after her retirement, whose work as the Chair since the beginning of 2020 was highlighted.
In this sense, during the session, the members of Cepsa and its Foundation, as well as the University of La Laguna, thanked the former director for her work, highlighting the main achievements of her tenure, among which the development of the first industrial doctorate of the Chair and the second of ULL, aimed at the processing of used cooking oils and other non-food fats in fuel hydrotreatment units, stands out.
Another relevant milestone during her tenure is the launching of a call for prizes for the best Bachelor's and Master's Degree Final Projects in subjects related to the Chair's objectives.
Also noteworthy is the creation of the Chair's website, in order to make her activity more visible -especially training- as well as the creation of a cycle of training sessions and periodic master classes on current issues, which have addressed topics such as digital transformation, the application of neural networks to the industrial sector, as well as energy efficiency, energy transformation and circular economy, among others.
New address
The Chair's new director, Elena Pastor, has an extensive C.V. In addition to being Vice-Dean of Chemistry for the Science Department, she is the main researcher for the Surface Science and Electrocatalysis Group and has been a member of the Institute of Nanotechnology and Materials since its creation, where she has served as director and secretary.
Her research focuses on the development of materials for devices that enable efficient energy use, while maintaining a commitment to the environment and sustainable development so that the needs of the present can be met without compromising future generations.
An advocate of renewable energies and hydrogen as the fuel of the future, her work in this field focuses on the development of catalysts for electrolyzers, fuel cells and batteries, together with the search for solutions to the problem of polluting gases such as CO2.
As a result of her research, the Surface Science and Electrocatalysis Group received the 6th Carrefour Environment Award, and she received the Research Award from the University of La Laguna 2018.
Throughout her professional career she has supervised ten doctoral theses and more than 40 Final Projects, Bachelor's and Master's Degrees. In addition, she has published more than 170 articles in international journals, 10 book chapters and presented nearly 300 papers at conferences, and has been involved in six patents.
In addition to her academic activity, since 1997 she has been the main researcher on projects for the Autonomous Government of the Canary Islands, the Spanish National Plan, the International Cooperation Program and the European Union’s Seventh Framework Program.
At the international level, she maintains collaborations with both European and Latin American groups, highlighting her commitment to the Iberoamerican Society of Electrochemistry (SIBAE), in which she has held various positions since 2008.
Fundación Cepsa Professorship
Created in 2018, the Cepsa Foundation Chair of Ecological Transition to Innovation at the University of La Laguna emphasizes the promotion of research, training and scientific dissemination. This institution joins the other Cepsa Foundation chairs at the universities of Huelva, Cadiz, Seville, Madrid and the recently incorporated one in Malaga, which reinforce the joint efforts, in addition to the contributions and involvement of the company's professionals and the academic institutions involved.
This alliance between Cepsa and universities has enabled a large number of students to enter the labor market, while at the same time bringing university professors closer to the reality of energy and chemistry. Knowledge and experience exchanges between Cepsa professionals and university teachers and students represent an enrichment for everyone.
